CHERRY POPPIN' DADDIES

>>> Friday, Feb. 10

It's best not to think too much about the possible connotations behind the Cherry Poppin' Daddies' name. We tried, on accident, and it kind of made us squeamish. Instead, we'd focus on the rambunctious mix of pomp and nostalgia that powers the Cherry Poppin' Daddies' swinging ways. We'd focus on the ska, skank and swing rather than the creepy, Matthew-McConaughey-in-Dazed-and-Confused innuendo. Friday, the Cherry Poppin' Daddies return to Tacoma and Jazzbones, a venue, and likely crowd, with which the band is already familiar. We expect the swinging and jiving to go off without a hitch, and for it to feel very much like the swing revival circa 1996. Granted, that isn't very fair to the Daddies, seeing as the band formed in Eugene, Ore. in 1989, but whatevs. According to the Cherry Poppin' Daddies' website (the weirdly succinct daddies.com), the band is currently working on material for a new record, which vocalist Steve Perry says will focus on the swing, but feature, "a slight side order of rockabilly/ psychobilly." Perhaps some of that will make it to the stage Friday. - Weekly Volcano

[Jazzbones, with Phasers on Kill, Blacktop Demon, 8 p.m., $13.50-$17, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.396.9169]

SANTEE

>>> Friday, Feb. 10

Santee makes scratchy, lovesick, indie folk-pop. The band has a way of tentatively coming around to these walloping choruses and emotionally resonant refrains. Over the years, what began as the bedroom folk duo of Heather Loepp and Josh Vega has grown and developed into a larger, fuller band with a richer sound to match. Loepp's voice has always been the most striking aspect of Santee, being, how it is, somehow hoarse and delicate at the same time. With the addition of Speedwobbles and Brite Futures drummer Conor Sisk, Santee has further embraced its more rollicking side. Full disclosure: this show is a fundraiser for the forthcoming Squeak and Squawk Music Festival, which I am booking. As I've said before, though, this is a show I would be telling you about anyway, regardless of my involvement. - Rev. Adam McKinney

[The Space, with Makeup Monsters, A Leaf, Foreign Money, $7, 9:30 p.m., 729 Court C, Tacoma]

SOLVENTS

>>> Saturday, Feb. 11

Jarrod Bramson and his pop-rock band, Solvents, come from Port Townsend. And, aided heavily by the violin work of bandmate Emily Madden, the band, often compared to Big Star, even sounds a little like the little postcard town at the end of the road they call home. Exterior beauty, boatyard grit, small-town honesty: the Solvents brim with all of it. Bramson's vocal ticks, if not his tones, owe a bit to John Lennon in the way he can express regret, shame, remorse and vulnerability without sacrificing masculinity and a cynical bite. And all the while, Madden's violin sweetens and gently badgers Bramson in a game of musical one-upmanship that elevates Solvents into something special. Bramson says the band is preparing to record a new record, and also recently contributed a song to the Smiths tribute album, Please, Please, Please: A Tribute to the Smiths - delving into "Is it really so strange" for the effort. Romantics and pop-rock lovers would be well advised to catch Solvents at the New Frontier Saturday night. As The Stranger's Dave Segal noted of Solvents, "STFU and swoon to their tunes." We had to Google "STFU," but now that we did we totally agree. - WV

[The New Frontier Lounge, with Where Sails Meet Rails, Bandolier, 9 p.m., cover TBA, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020]

THE HIVE DWELLERS

>>> Saturday, Feb. 11

Calvin Johnson has long been one of the weirder ducks in local music. He played a large role in not only popularizing Olympia and its vibrant music scene, but also helping to set the tone of the city's musical output in general, with his shit-fi alt-rock group Beat Happening and his founding of K Records. The Hive Dwellers is Johnson's most recent project, and it finds him continuing down that weird path he set for himself back in the '80s. His guttural monotone is still front and center, and his arrangements are exceedingly off-kilter. Full disclosure: this show is a fundraiser for the forthcoming Squeak and Squawk Music Festival, which I am booking. As I've said before, though, this is a show I would be telling you about anyway, regardless of my involvement. - Rev. Adam McKinney

[The Space, with Lozen, Check Please, The Riffbrokers, $7, 9:30 p.m., 729 Court C, Tacoma]

TOO $HORT

>>> Saturday, Feb. 11

For the record, pimpin' ain't dead. It ain't even close to dead, in fact. We know this because legendary Bay Area rapper, Too $hort, returns to Olympia Saturday, bringing his official "Pimpin' Ain't Dead" tour with him. Joined on the bill by Dubbleoo, Steady the Boss and Free Whiskey, Too $hort's stop in Oly promises to be nothing short of epic, a show adding itself to the growing list of major hip-hop happenings to have recently rocked our state capital. Preparing for the release of his latest record, No Trespassing, $hort seems likely to let it all hang out live at the Royal. Hype for Trespassing promises cameos from hip-hop heavyweights like Snoop, 50 Cent and Devin The Dude, along with a vocal contribution by fellow Bay Area-artist Martin Luther. - WV

[The Royal Lounge, with Dubbleoo, Steady the Boss, Free Whiskey, doors at 6 p.m., $22 advance, 311 Capital Way, Olympia, 360.705.0760]

CHIPTUNE DISKO

>>> Saturday, Feb 11

There is a certain segment of the population that is way too into eight-bit video games - specifically, the way those games sounded. These weirdoes have banded together to utilize those primitive sounds in the creation of new music. Their bands are chiptune bands; their members have seemingly uncovered brand new depths of obsession. Saturday, Dorky's Arcade will host several chiptune bands because, well, of course chiptune bands would play at Dorky's. Performers include Awesomecat, Shellshock, Firedrill and Ovenrake, and all the bands will be accompanied by vintage gear like Game Boys. How surreal will it be to dance to fake video game music while - all around you - real video games are lighting up, all abuzz and a-chirp? It'll be like a snake eating its tail. - Rev. AM

[Dorky's Arcade, with Firedrill, Ovenrake, Awesomecat, Shellshock, 9 p.m., $3, 754 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.627.4156]

DUB LOUNGE INTERNATIONAL

>>> Saturday, Feb. 11

Olympia and Seattle are Dub Lounge International's dual hometowns. But this roots, rock, reggae group has international ties. The bands' critically acclaimed debut album, Dub Lounge One, includes vocals by the late Peter Tosh's cousin, Ezra Tosh. The band's dub-style Jamaican roots and harmonic melodies have earned Dub Lounge International a place opening for such bands as Israel Vibration and Jimmy Cliff. DLI packs the house with skankers, rastas, punks and lovers. Lucky for the South Sound, Dub Lounge will play downtown Olympia Saturday. So pass the doobie to the left-hand side and get your irie self to the Eastside Club Tavern Saturday. BONUS: Word on the street is the horn section will be in the house. - Nikki Talotta

[The Eastside Club Tavern, 9 p.m., $5, 410 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia, 360.357.9985]

DANIEL BLUE

>>> Tuesday, Feb. 14

Oh shit. Yeah, we went and did it. We're previewing Daniel Blue's Valentine's Day show with Kurt Lindsay at Metronome Coffee on Tacoma's Sixth Avenue. That should make for an interesting week of comments online. But, as they say, "No pain, no gain." Blue, as you know, has had a pretty stellar year - watching his band, Motopony, achieve Seattle-darling status while receiving gushes from everywhere from KEXP to NPR in the process. It's been good times, one can only assume. Perhaps the best of times. According to the band's website, Motopony has recently been holed up writing and recording a second album in the mountains of north central Washington. Blue returns to Tacoma for a rare performance on Valentine's Day. - WV

[Metronome Coffee, with Kurt Lindsay, 8 p.m., no cover, all ages, 3518 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.301.2375]